A vehicular system, or vehicle, is a mobile machine that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats and aircraft. Vehicles that do not travel on land often are called craft, such as watercraft, sailcraft, aircraft, hovercraft and spacecraft. Land vehicles are classified broadly by what is used to apply steering and drive forces against the ground: wheeled, tracked, railed or skied. ISO 3833-1977 is the standard, also internationally used in legislation, for road vehicles types, terms and definitions.
An example of a vehicular system is a bicycle, often called a bike (and sometimes referred to as a pushbike, pedal bike, pedal cycle, or cycle). The bicycle is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist (or user).
Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number about one billion worldwide, twice as many as automobiles. The basic shape and configuration of a known upright bicycle has changed little since the first chain-driven model was developed around 1885. Several components that eventually played a key role in the development of the automobile were originally invented for the bicycle, including ball bearings, pneumatic tires, chain-driven sprockets, and spoke-tensioned wheels. The 1968, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of the United Nations considers a bicycle to be a vehicle, and a person controlling a bicycle (whether actually riding or not) is considered an operator.
Another example of a vehicular system is an electric bicycle, also known as an e-bike. The electric bicycle is a type of bicycle with an electric motor used to power the vehicle. Electric bicycles use rechargeable batteries and can travel up to 15 to 20 miles per hour (24 to 32 km/h). In many parts of the world, electric bicycles are classified as bicycles rather than motor vehicles.
Another example of a vehicular system is a motorized bicycle (motorbike, cyclemotor). The motorized bicycle is a type of bicycle with an attached motor and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedaling. Since it always retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one.
Another example of a vehicular system is a tricycle (often abbreviated to trike). The tricycle is a type of three-wheeled vehicle. The tricycle may be motorized or unmotorized (manually driven). Human-powered trikes are usually powered by pedals, although some models have hand cranks.
Another example of a vehicular system is a unicycle. The unicycle is a human-powered, single-track vehicle with one wheel. Unicycles resemble bicycles, but are less complex.
Another example of a vehicular system is a tandem bicycle or twin bicycle. The tandem bicycle is a form of bicycle (occasionally, a tricycle) designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement (fore to aft, not side-by-side), not the number of riders. A bike with two riders side-by-side is called a sociable bicycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,505,464 (DEBUIT, issued on Apr. 25, 1950) discloses a bicycle having a human-powered front wheel configured for freewheel operation in FIG. 1 and in column 2, lines 30-32.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,329 (DAY, issued on Jan. 19, 1999) discloses a bicycle having pedals with active position and resting position in FIG. 7.
United States Patent Application Number 2010/0167881 (DAY, filed on Dec. 31, 2009) discloses a bicycle having pedals with active position and resting position in FIG. 11.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,863 (VANJANI, issued on Nov. 27, 2001) discloses a bicycle having an electric powered rear wheel using a hub motor used in combination with human power in FIG. 1 and in column 2, lines 41-44.